Rail anchor



May 10, 1927.

F. A. PRESTON l ze?! I Patented May l0, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK A. PRESTON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB. 'ro THE I a M COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION F ILLINOIS.

RAIL ANCHOR.

, My invention relates to devices for resist ing the longitudinal creeping movement of railroad rails.

The principal Object of the invention is to provide an improved one-piece rail anchor device which will be inexpensive to manufacture, which will be easy'of application to a railroad rail and which will vso engage the base portion ofthe rail as to lock itself in its operative position.

A more speciii'c object of the invention is to provide a one-piece rail anchor which is so formed as to grip one flange only of a rail base and which may be applied to its operative position on arail by rotating the device about a vertical In this connection I contemplate a device whichmay be formed from a` relatively small metal blank, parts of which are bent at an angle to the body Ct the blank to provide resilient teeth adapted to take a biting hold on the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base to lock the anchor in its applied position.

The preferred `embodiment of the inven- 5 tion'is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein: 1 p

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a railroad rail lshowing a rail anchor constructed in accordance with my invention applied thereto.

l? ig. 2 isv a` side view of said rail base showingv the anchor device arranged'onthe base flange of the' rail in readiness to be rotated to its rail gripping position.

3 isa view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the anchor in its operative position on the rail. p

Fig. 4i is a cross section through the rail and showing a side view of the anchor, and

Fig. 5 isa view in perspective of the anchor device removed from the rail.

The anchor device shown in the drawings consists of a clip made from a relatively small metal plate having ysome resiliency. The metal plate is formed with a recess 11 which receives one flange of the rail base A12 and provides the clip with portions 13 and '14; which grip the topand bottom surfaces respectively, of the rail base.A Each of the jaw portions is slit as .indicated by the reference numerals 15-16 and the end portions are bent outwardly from one side ot' the device to provide resilient teeth 17 and 18. The teeth, in addition to providing greater resiliency than the relatively rigid portions 19 and 20 otl the upper and lower jaws, are so disposed that their sharp corners 21 and 22 are forced into biting 'engagement with the top andv bottom surfaces Ot the rail base. y

In applying the device to a rail, the jaw portions are fitted over one flange of a rail base in the position shown in Fig.V 2. The device-is then rotated about'a vertical axis in a manner to I'orce the spring teeth 17 and 18 along the rail base in theudirection toward the cross tie QBuntil the device is at right angles tothe length of the rail. From the lastnamed position the device may be driven bodily longitudinally ot' the rail 4until the flat4 face portion v24 of the anchor bears against the vertical face of the cross tie. The rotating mov-ement of the device causes the biting edges ot' the spring teeth to cut arcuate grooves in the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base as indicated :in Fig. 1, by the reference character, 25. The said arcuate grooves serve to lock the anchor against movement Atransversely of the rail in a direction to loosen the grip ofthe/.device on the rail base. 4

llVhen theanchor is in its applied position the relatively rigid portions 19 and 2O ot the jaws engage the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base and exert a strong trictional grip thereon. The frictional grip effected in applying the device willbe ordinarily sufficient to resist the creeping movement oi the rail. The creepingpress'ure on the rail, however, will ehave a tendency to-rock` the anchor-about ahorizontal aXisand tends to effect a shackle grip of the` rigid jaw portions on the top and bottom surface of the rail base.

In addition to effectingthe above shackle grip, the pressureA exerted against the lower portion of the anchor bythe creeping pressure of the rail lwill tend to force'the spring teeth 17 and .18 into firmer' biting `engage- Cil ment with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base. The biting -edges of the teeth are preferably, though not necessarily, spaced with relation to each other longitudinally of the rail, as indicated best in Fig. 3, so that any rocking ofthe anchor will exert a powerful biting force at the points of engagement of said teeth. The angular position of the teeth permits the anchor to be applied by the rotary movement above described and at the same time resists reverse rotational movement of the device.

llfhile l have shown my invention in connection with one specific embodiment, it will be obvious to persons skilled in this art, that the device might be modified in structure without departing from the spiritof the invention.

l wish it understood, therefore, that I coiitemplate all such cli-anges in structure as come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 5

l. A rail anchor adapted to grip one flange only of a rail and consisting of a flat metal plate, recessed to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a rail base; one of said jaws being formed with a resilient tooth bent outwardly from one side of the body of the plate but which is adapted to bite into the rail base at a point within the side planes of the jaws during the application of the anchor to a rail.

2. A rail anchor adaptedvto grip one flange only of a rail and consisting of a flat metal plate recessed to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a. rail base; each of said jaws being formed with a resilient tooth bent outwardly from the same side face of the body of the plate and adapted to bite into the rail base at points in substantially the same vertical plane during the application of the anchor to a rail.

3. A rail anchor adapted to grip one flange only of a rail base and consisting of a flat metal plate recessed to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a rail base by a rotational movement of the device about a vertical axis; one of said jaws being formed with a resilient tooth bent outwardly from one side face of the body of the plate and adapted to bite into the rail base during the application of the anchor to a rail.

et. A rail anchor adapted to grip one flange only of a rail and consisting of a flat metal vslate recessed to provide upper and lower' jaws adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a rail base by rotational movement of the device about a vertical axis; each of said jaws being formed with a resilient tooth bent outwardly from the same side face of the body of the plate and adapted to bite into the rail base during the application of the anchor to a rail.

j 5. A iail anchor adapted to grip one flange only of a rail and consisting of a flat metal plate recessed to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base by a rotational movement of the device about a vertical axis; the extremity of each of said jaws being forn'ied with a resilient tooth bent outwardly from the salue side face of the body of the plate and adapted to bite into the rail base at points within the side planes of the jaws during the application of the anchor to a rail.

i 6. A rail anchor comprising a flat plate adapted to bear against a cross tie and formed with a recess to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to grip the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange of a rail; each of said jaws being provided with a tooth arranged at an angle to the plate and adapted to permit the device to be rotated about a vertical axis during the application of the device to a rail and to resist movement of the device in the opposite direction.

7. A rail anchor comprising a flat plate adapted to bear against a cross tie and formed with a recess to provide upper and lower jaws adapted to grip the top and bottom surfaces of one base flange of the rail; the extremity of each of said jaws being provided with a tooth arranged at an angle to the plate and adapted to flex outwardly to permit the device to be rotated about a vertical axis during the application of the device to a rail and adapted by its engagement with the rail to resist movement of the device in the opposite direction.

8. A rail anchor comprising a body formed with jaw portions adapted to be forced'into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base by a rotational movement of the body about a vert-ical axis; one of said jaws being formed with a resilient tooth adapted to bite into the rail base so as to form a curved groove therein during said rotational movement of the body.

9. A rail anchor comprising a body formed with jaw portions adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base by a rotational movement of the body about a vertical axis; one of said jaws being formed with a tooth disposed at an angle to the body of the anchor and adapted to bite into the rail base so as to form a curved groove therein during said rotational movement of the body and adapted by its engagement with the rail base to preventl'smd body from rotating in an opposite direction about said axis.

l0. A rail anchorI comprising a body formed with jaw portions adapted to be forced into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base by a rotational movement of the body about a vertical axis; the extremity of each of said jaws being slitand the portions at one side of the slit being bent outwardly from the side of the body to provide a resilient tooth adapted to bite into the rail base to form a curved groove therein during the said rotational movement of the body.

`FREDERICK A. PRESTON. 

